Energy experts: Iraq-driven oil price rise likely temporaryVoice of AmericaWorld oil prices are at their highest levels of the year as escalating violence in Iraq threatens to disrupt exports. As a major oil-producing nation, Iraq's political stability is crucial keeping energy prices steady. But energy analysts say there’s no reason to panic — yet. Depending on how long the conflict lasts, only a small increase in gasoline and heating oil prices are anticipated.

Residential home performance as an HVAC service: Part 2Contracting BusinessPart 1 explored the concept of thinking about home performance as integral to what you do as a complete home comfort services company, rather than an add-on to your business. One important aspect of this approach is integrating inspection and testing of the home and HVAC system into your annual performance tune-ups, as well as your maintenance agreements. It means focusing on customers' safety, health, comfort and energy efficiency by inspecting their entire home, not just maintaining their HVAC equipment.

Philadelphia City Council panel OKs measure to cut sulfur in home heating oilThe Philadelphia InquirerA measure to reduce sulfur in home heating oil passed unanimously out of Philadelphia City Council's environment committee. The bill, proposed by Councilwoman Blondell Reynolds Brown, would lower the sulfur limit from 2,000 parts per million — a level passed in 1978 — to 15 parts per million, putting the city in line with neighboring states.

Sid Harvey's Pump Testing ManifoldSid Harvey’s Pump Testing Manifold checks pressure and vacuum quickly and accurately on all fuel units up to 300 psi. It features liquid filled gauges, flexible lines, and smooth operating valves. The vacuum side has flare fittings for both 3/8” and ½” lines while the pressure side features color coded lines and fittings for all fuel units including Riello. www.sidharvey.com

UPDATES FROM OESP

NORA Tank Certification on the RoadOESPAn ounce of protection can go a long way. Taking a proactive approach to overall tank management — from installation to regular check-ups — will protect your customers. Many companies already do regular tank inspections and have procedures in place for proper installations, but getting your people NORA Tank Certified is one way to demonstrate your commitment to your customers and, in many cases, your insurance company.

As an added bonus, for those in certification programs — this program earns 8 NORA CEUs and 8 NATE CEUs.

John Levey will be delivering this important program from 8 a.m.-4 p.m., June 24, at the Holiday Inn, in Mansfield, Massachusetts, and June 25, at the ICPA School, Cromwell, Connecticut. The price is $99 for the first person or $79 per person for multiple sign-ups. Register here or call 888-552-0900.

What do you want from your HVAC contracting business?Contracting BusinessThis is a fundamental question that is so obvious most of us overlook it. When we first think about what we want from our HVAC contracting businesses, we don't know how to answer it. Ultimately, the answer is the business should support a lifestyle now and in the future. Here are five ideas to help you answer this very important question.

Multiple OESP chapters work together to achieve morePlumbing & MechanicalOil Heat Cares is a not-for-profit foundation helping people and organizations in need replace their oil-heating appliances. OESP chapters, members and other oil-heat partners recognize and request help for those within their neighborhoods who may have no heat or have other oil-heating issues that require replacement of their heating equipment.

For HVAC systems, efficiency measurements are the 'delta' differenceContracting BusinessWhen measuring the performance of an HVAC system, the term "delta" is often used to express the difference between two measurements. Let's take a look at the family of HVAC industry "deltas" that we include in our day-to-day HVAC slang terms: Delta T, Delta P, Delta V, Delta H and Delta C.

Diagnosing 'broken' buildings to make them greenerMIT NewsThe co-founders of MIT spinout KGS Buildings have a saying: "All buildings are broken." Energy wasted through faulty or inefficient equipment, they say, can lead to hundreds of thousands of dollars in avoidable annual costs. That's why KGS aims to "make buildings better" with cloud-based software, called Clockworks, that collects existing data on a building's equipment — specifically in HVAC equipment — to detect leaks, breaks and general inefficiencies, as well as energy-saving opportunities.

Service Clinic: Commercial compressor replacementContracting BusinessWith the cooling season in full swing, a service technician must be prepared and in the right mindset to diagnose a whole variety of issues related to comfort cooling. For the most part, they're relatively easy repairs, such as cleaning coils, finding refrigerant leaks or replacing bad electrical components. With that said, the one issue that causes the whole system to come to a screeching halt is the compressor. But replacing a compressor is pretty straightforward if you take the time to follow some simple guidelines.

Renewable energy disruptive to utilitiesFierceEnergyElectric utilities' traditional business model is being shaken up by distributed energy resources (DER), which include renewable sources of energy, such as solar PV, and allow residential customers to generate some of their own electricity and sell unneeded power back to the utility. The latest technologies are now more affordable, driving growing interest and adoption by residential customers who see an opportunity for greater control of their energy consumption.

Using postcards to generate calls and referralsBy Jeffrey Dobkin A letter is the best marketing tool. In a letter, you have time and space to sell, sell, sell. You can explain benefits and features. You can show facts and figures. But a letter is a lot of work and expense: printing, folding, including a brochure to add a harder sell and credibility, envelope, mail shop services for inserting, postage, affixing postage, imaging name and address. Lots of handling. Postcards, on the other hand, can be effective and are certainly less work. Postcards enjoy high readership because once the recipient picks it up and is ready to toss it out — hey, she's read it!

Affordable Care Act tips for small businessesThe Arizona RepublicThe Internal Revenue Service recently issued guidance intended to ease the administrative burden of offering group health insurance within 90 days of an employee's hire date. Most health plans don't start coverage until the first of the month. And most employers use irregular hire dates, so waiting 90 days from the date of hire can run the risk of violating the federal law's shared-responsibility provisions. Employers are now allowed to have a one-month "orientation period" or an evaluation or training period from the date of hire for up to one month.

5 essential tips for growing your businessSmall Business TrendsTo say that getting a business off the ground is hard work would be an understatement. Whether you're still drafting your first business plan or recently opened your store, starting and running a business can be an exhilarating — and terrifying — experience. Here are five tips that can help you grow your business.